


Welcome to the Freakshow

by orphan_account



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Circus, Blood Drinking, Fluff, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, Light Angst, M/M, Other, freakshow - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-16
Updated: 2017-01-16
Packaged: 2018-09-18 00:34:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9354839
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Life in the circus ain't easy, but for The Boy King, The Fallen Angel, and The Vampire - there's a little bit of love that makes it run a little smoother.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for SPN Polyship Bingo 2017  
> Square filled: Circus AU  
> Inspired by: Freakshow - Ani Difranco

“Mommy, mommy, look at the monster.”

 

“That’s not nice dear, they prefer to be called freaks,” The woman said to her young daughter. 

 

Gadreel crouched down to the girl’s level, grinning. “Do you like teddy bears, child?” He asked, holding onto the steel bars of his cage. 

 

The small girl’s blue eyes widened. She cowered behind her mother’s leg, staring at the angel in the cage. He was shirtless, large birdlike wings spread out behind him. They must have looked beautiful at one point, but the stress of an Earth-bound existence tarnished the once brilliant whites to a dull grey, and the once glittering blues to a quarter of their shine. Bits of feathers were burnt black or missing, giving them an almost grotesque appearance when the angel spread them wide.

 

“You can answer him, dear – he wouldn’t hurt a fly.” Crowley was dressed in his neat suit, pacing between the cages the held his freaks. 

 

The little girl looked between him and Gadreel for a moment. “Yes, I like teddy bears.”

 

“What’s your favorite color?” Gadreel asked.

 

“Pink.”

 

“Oh, I love pink. It is a beautiful color. Would you like to see how angels do magic?”

 

The girl stepped closer to the bars now, unafraid. “You can do magic?”

 

Gadreel nodded. He rose and closed his eyes. His tattered wings wrapped around his body and a bright blue light surrounded them, making the humans watching squint or look away. 

 

The wings spread open after a few seconds and Gadreel smiled, holding a fluffy teddy bear in his hands. The fur was a bright, neon pink and the eyes were a shade of brilliant blue that no one had a name for. He crouched back down and passed it carefully through the bars. 

 

“A beautiful bear for a beautiful little girl.”

 

The girl gasped and took the bear, snuggling it to her face immediately. “It’s so soft! Thank you!”

 

“My pleasure, child. Enjoy the rest of the show.” He stood up again, stepping back to woo the rest of the audience with his displays. From the corner of his eye he saw the girl tapping her mother, eager to show off her new toy. 

 

*** 

 

“He’s gross looking – look at his eyes. What’s wrong with him?” 

 

Sam met the gaze of the teenaged boy and smirked, his lips and chin soaked with blood. “I’m more powerful than you could ever wish,” He snarled.

 

The teenager startled, not expecting him to speak.

 

“Oh yeah? P—Prove it,” The boy stuttered, stepping back when Sam neared the bars of his cage. He wrapped his large hands around them, fingertips stained with red. 

 

“How would you have me prove it, boy?”

 

“I—I don’t know. What can you do, freak?”

 

Sam’s grin widened, predatory. “I could tear you limb from limb without lifting a finger. Though, I suppose you wouldn’t approve of that, neither would my boss. How about this instead?” He raised his hand, palm out, not missing the visible flinch in the audience. Closing his yellow eyes, Sam took a grounding breath. He could feel the nervous energy surrounding him, his own power feeding off their fear. From the middle of the audience someone screamed, drawing everyone’s attention to where Sam’s hand was aimed.

 

A young woman was floating in the air as if suspended by wires. Sam raised his hand and she rose with it, lowering when he lowered his palm. A gasp went through the crowd as Sam closed his hand quickly, dropping her from nearly fifty feet. Moments before she hit the heads of the people under her, he opened it again, catching her and lowering her safely to the ground.

 

He opened his eyes, allowing them to fade back to the shining kaleidoscope shade he was born with. “Still question my power?” He asked the boy.

 

“F—Freak!” The boy shouted, rushing past his cage.

 

“Thank you!” Sam called after him.

 

*** 

 

“Oh my God, is he _drinking_ that? That’s blood. Ugh—“

 

Benny glanced up from the table he had set up in his cage. Fur and flesh from the destroyed raccoon carcass in his hands was stuck to his chin and lips. He drew his face into a wide smile, earning a gasp and a few screams when his fangs were revealed.

 

“What a freak – what _is_ he?” A man in the audience asked.

 

“I’m a vampire, boy – a bloodsucker, can’t you read?” He snarled, throwing the carcass through the bars and into the crowd. It separated, the groan of disgust overwhelming. The man who’d asked what he was gasped when he looked back at the cage: Benny was pressed against the bars now, grinning down at him. 

 

“You smell amazing, human. Like a fresh steak. Come a little closer, lemme have a taste of you.” He snarled and reached out, clawing at the man until he cried out and backed up. 

 

*** 

 

Crowley withdrew the key from his pocket and went cage to cage, unlocking each door. He paused a moment to speak with each of his freaks, congratulating them or scolding them. When he reached Benny’s cage he laughed a little. 

 

“Terrifying as always, Lafitte. Good work,” He said as he unlocked the cage and passed Benny a warm, wet towel. 

 

“Thanks, Boss,” Benny said, wiping the blood off his face. “I swear I made that one kid piss himself - I don’t mean to be so scary.”

 

“People fear what they don’t understand, Benny. That’s the appeal. Mother is cooking dinner, she’s kept one of the rabbits alive for you.”

 

Benny nodded. “Thanks,” He repeated, ducking out of the back of their working tent to their food tent.

 

Sam waved to him from the table. “Over here, Benny.”

 

Gadreel was sitting next to him, one wing tucked close to his body, the other curled loosely around Sam’s body. When Benny sat, Gadreel let his wing extend a little farther, wrapping it around the vampire as well. 

 

“Have a good turn out?” Sam asked, his mouthful of meat.

 

“Manners, you heathen,” Benny grumped, reaching his hand into the cage on his lap and petting the small rabbit to soothe it.

 

“Dude, you’re about to murder Thumper and drink his blood – don’t talk to me about manners,” Sam teased.

 

Benny laughed a little, pulling the rabbit out by its scruff. He grimaced a little, meeting its beady black eyes. “Sorry Thumper, but a man’s gotta eat.”

 

Sam grimaced a little – even drinking blood himself it didn’t take away from the shock of watching it happen. He looked back at his own food, allowing Benny privacy to eat.

  
“I saw you frightened a teenage boy,” Gadreel said, and Sam laughed.

 

“Just doing my job. What about you Mr. Sensitive? Save any small children today?”

 

“I gave a small girl a pink bear and a little boy a football.”

 

Sam smiled softly at the angel. “You know you’re a good man, Gadreel.”

 

“I am just a freak, Sam. Same as you.”

 

“You’re sweet though, most of us are in those cages for shock value. We aren’t there to make people happy, we’re there to scare the shit out of them. You make people smile. You’re beautiful.”

 

“You underestimate yourself, Sam.”

 

“I’m a human with demon powers, angel. There’s nothing good about that.”

 

“Why not use it for good? You could create as I do.”

 

“Nobody wants me to make them laugh or smile. Me and Benny are there to scare them. Remind them of the dirty unwanted creatures that roam the night.”

 

“I don’t think that’s true.”

 

“You just see good in everyone, Gadreel. It’s a virtue of yours.”

 

“Or a curse,” Benny said, wiping blood from his chin with a napkin.

 

Sam sighed softly, reaching out and using his thumb to catch a bit Benny had missed.

 

“I don’t know why you bother drinking that stuff – I know it’s gross. You’re always welcome to feed from me.”

  
“Last time I left marks on your neck I got my ass chewed by Rowena – no thank you.”

 

Sam smirked, reaching out and setting his hand on Benny’s knee, sliding it up slowly. “I have more skin than just on my neck, Benny. I’ve told you to drink from our thighs – we all wear jeans in the cages.”

 

“I might take you up on that, chèr,” Benny replied, shifting a little when Sam’s knuckles brushed over his groin. “Don’t go getting me hard at the dinner table now.”

 

“But it’s so fun to tease.”

 

Benny rolled his eyes deeply but smiled at The Boy King, leaning over and pressing a kiss to his mouth.

 

Rowena came by, refilling the plates that were empty. She swatted Sam on the head with a pot holder. “None of that PDA at the table. Come now, you men want to be respectable gentlemen don’t you?”

 

Sam smirked back at her. “Yes, Ro. Thanks for dinner.”

 

She placed another chunk of meat on his plate. “My honor, Samuel. Gadreel, you need your wings groomed – would you like me to do it?”

 

“No, ma’am. I’ll have Sam and Benny do it before bed, if they aren’t opposed.”

 

“Course not,” Benny said, reaching up to trace his fingers over the feathers. “Maybe give ‘em a good washing too – see if we can’t get some of that shine back.”

 

Gadreel’s wings puffed a little at the attention, his cheeks pinking up. “You are welcome to try.”

 

Rowena smiled, leaning down and placing a kiss to Gadreel’s temple. “I’ll make sure there’s some warm water and soap in your tent tonight then.”

 

Sam watched her go before leaning close to Benny, nuzzling his neck.

 

“Are you trying to get us swatted again, Sam?”

 

“Just need some affection,” Sam mumbled. Gadreel drew his wing closer to them, reaching out and touching Sam’s leg.

 

***

 

After tearing down the main tents for the night, the three settled into their sleeping tent, Benny and Sam each taking one of Gadreel’s wings. They worked together efficiently, cleaning and smoothing and straightening the feathers as best they could.

 

Gadreel melted under their touch as he always did when his feathers were played with, moaning and shifting, his feathers puffing and twitching under his boyfriend’s hands. Sam knew he was probably hard against the bed, the way his legs twitched and jerked between them.

 

When they’d fixed him as well as they could, the two moved to let him up, each diving forward to nibble and kiss the curve of his neck and shoulders. Gadreel curled his wings around them, enveloping the three of them in a space all their own.

 

The freakshow saved their lives – it really did – but it wasn’t an existence any would choose to live.

 

Benny had been in the show the longest. He was one of their original freaks. Gadreel had come next, rescued by Crowley out of a back alley where a small mob was attempting to tear his wings from his body. Sam was the newest, young and the only human in the troupe, he had the hardest time adjusting to life in circus.

 

Crowley had taken him in from an orphanage when he began to act out. Knowledge of the supernatural had allowed Crowley to realize his potential, and hone it from a relatively young age. Sam had been appearing in the shows from the age of sixteen, and Benny and Gadreel had taken him under their care.

 

Of course, as Sam grew, all three realized their relationship was changing to be less than platonic.

 

Sam approached Gadreel first, confessing that he didn’t care for women all that much and often dreamt of the angel. Flustered, but reciprocating the feelings, Gadreel tried to explain that he and Benny were in a relationship. Sam had been discouraged, but accepted it.

 

The night of Sam’s seventeenth birthday, Gadreel told Benny what happened, and that he too had been feeling less than platonic towards the young man. It was Benny that had suggested the three of them make it work.

 

They pulled Sam from his tent into theirs and explained the possibility of a relationship that involved everyone. That was the night Sam, the boy king, lost his virginity first to a vampire, and then to a fallen angel.

 

Nothing had slowed down their romance from that point on. Crowley was reluctant, but he knew Gadreel and Benny were trustworthy men. Of course the rest of the rag-tag family they’d amassed in the circus troupe were overjoyed – one of their own, nay _three_ of their own – finding love despite the hardships of this life, it was joyous.

 

They were still forced to keep their relationship away from the eyes of the public, of course. Freaks _and_ gay to boot would get them lynched in this world. But it was okay. People on the outside didn’t need to know. They saw the show, they laughed and jeered, and then they went home.

 

The clowns removed their makeup, revealing average men and women that were simply making a living in their own way. The other workers went about their day putting up and tearing down tents, tending to the care of the others. And the three special freaks made their way into one shared tent and bed, knowing that _someday_ things would be okay.


End file.
